1. Field
This invention concerns planer boards or skis, often termed "otter boards", used for outboard attachment of fishing lines for trolling. A problem of fishing behind a boat is that only so many lines may be cast out at any one time before they become entangled, either together or in the prop. Planer boards were divised to carry a fishing line away from the boat, i.e., outboard thereof, and keeping it there while trolling so that many more lines may be utilized.
2. Prior Art
Planer devices have heretofore been developed for the purposes described, e.g., such as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,548,919; 3,949,512; and 3,507,068. These devices teach a configuration, however, such that a fishing line is directly attached to the body of the device or in such a way that when a fish is hooked, retrieval of the fish must accompany the retrieval of the device, thereby exacerbating an already difficult task of fighting the fish. Also, many of these devices have a blocky structure which encourages the device to roll over in choppy or wavy water conditions, and which also increases the drag or resistance of movement through the water thereby negatively affecting the planning and flotation characteristics of the device. To overcome the negative effects of this construction, these devices must be pulled at a higher speed then that which would be most desirable for effective coverage of a certain productive fishing ground.